This Letter I Found
by lezonne
Summary: Dear Whiner with a bottle of vodka... Sincerely, Curious with a book. Hermione and Blaise exchange anonymous letters. Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition round 6.


**A/n:** Here's my entry into Round 6 of The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition! Thanks to my beta **lozipozivanillabean!**

**Optional Prompt 1: **3."Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience." Victoria Holt

**Optional Prompt 2: ** : "I have no money left"

**Optional Prompt 3: **8."To lead people, walk behind them." Lao-Tzu

* * *

_To whom it may concern,_

_I don't know why you bother to read this. You don't know who I am, much less why I'm writing a letter addressed to no one. Do you think I'm pathetic for sending my pains and woes out in a crumbled letter, cast to the side of a road whilst I wallow in self-pity? Why yes, you probably do._

_If you've decided to read this far, then I suppose you might actually continue reading. Your troubles in some circumstances probably outweigh mine, but I have different problems in other areas._

_Are you a renounced Death Eater, drawn into the act by a friend and awful mother? Likely, you are not. Do you wonder when your life will end, now that the war is over and everything is failing to be rebuilt? Do you wonder when the ground will be ripped out from under you? Yes, I wonder about all of these things._

_I have no money left to my name, and the only reason I have a method of transportation is because my friend stayed at home throughout this bloody war and saved his name from being tarnished. He still has money, and though people are hesitant around him he still makes a good living. I have nothing._

_You may burn this letter now. I don't see why you would bother keeping it._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_~Whiner with a bottle of vodka_

Hermione thought the person who left this letter on the side of the road was extremely obtuse, as though they had no hope left in the world at all. But if they had a wealthy friend, then shouldn't they be alright? Everyone had something to prove in the newly formed world, and she knew this writer was no exception.

Pocketing the letter, she felt a strange urge to keep it with her. Wandering further down the street, she wondered why she felt so inclined to read the words again.

* * *

_Dear Whiner with a bottle of vodka,_

_I don't know why I wrote this letter, specifically because it's unlikely that you're going to be the one to pick the envelope up. Why would you bother really, when it could be the same one you discarded a little less than two weeks ago._

_My words probably fall on deaf ears, but I don't care. Perhaps these words will bleed into something indistinguishable when the rain falls. Until then, I hope you at least look at them with a bit of interest, that is, if you did indeed find this letter in the same location as the first. There's a reason I used a red envelope. _

_If you have no money, get a job. That would be your first order of business. Moping around and hiding from the rogue Death Eater's isn't going to get you anywhere. If you have someone letting you stay with them right now, then I see no reason why you cannot get up and actually try to do something. You're going to feel better about yourself with the more you try to do._

_On another note, at points in your letter you sound like you're contemplating your own death. Not in a suicidal way, but in a way that tells me you think it will arrive soon. Well if you sit around like a bum in the same place all the time, it probably will. Get up and live a little._

_Sincerely,_

_~Curious girl with a book_

When Blaise found the response to his note sitting there on the side of the round, he'd been curious and grabbed it. The fact that this person actually lectured him about getting a job was quite offensive. He would get one when he pleased!

Did he really sound so pathetic in his letters that she thought he needed to get up and have a life? Well, he'd show her!

* * *

_Dear Curious girl with a book~_

_You've got a lot to say, don't you? I don't know when you got the impression that it's your place to tell me what to do, but newsflash, it's _not_. I don't want a job because I was raised around so much money that learning to do anything simply wasn't necessary._

_Don't even go there- I do know how to actually do things. But there's no way I'm going to work for the Ministry. I'd rather take my friend up on his offer to give me a job in his business rather work around every other witch and wizard in Britain!_

_Does that mean you work at the Ministry? I've heard it's incredibly stuffy._

_I am not contemplating my own death, if you must know. I'm simply being a realist, acknowledging the fact that I'm living amongst a family that isn't everyone's favourite, even if they did redeem themselves. Not only that, but my mother wasn't exactly loved when she was alive either. She made a lot of enemies through her marriages. Guess she never figured her son would end up in this awful situation._

_Why I continue to write to you escapes me. We don't even know who each other are, and you could very well turn these notes over to the Daily Prophet and make a mockery out of everything. I suppose my only saving grace is that you don't know who I am. _

_Hopefully you'll be less opinionated if you respond again._

_~Whiner with a bottle of vodka_

* * *

_Dear Whiner with a bottle of vodka,_

_Why would I be less opinionated? Like you said, we don't actually know each other, and we certainly don't have to be supremely kind to one another. Sometimes harsh opinions from outside sources can be beneficial to the mind as a whole. _

_I see you picked up on my idea. The green envelope was easy to spot. Hopefully no one else starts taking our mail. _

_What kind of business does your friend run? If it's anything beneficial towards reconstructing Britain at a faster rate, then I would say go for it. Maybe if you start working towards a greater cause you'll feel better about life overall and this friend will give you a real job? It could be fantastic!_

_I'm a Healer at St. Mungo's. The very idea probably repulses you, I'm sure. If you won't get a job working with paper, why would you get one involving blood and guts and disease?_

_I'm not going to betray you and send anything to the press, so long as you extend the same courtesy to me. For days now I've been wondering why I reply to you, why I bother talking to a stranger. I suppose it's nice, since my boyfriend's ego could currently hold up England with how large it's grown. He's quite enjoying life as a renounced Hero, and he takes it too far sometimes._

_Sometimes I regret ever getting into a relationship with him. He's too egotistical these days, and even people like Draco Malfoy don't seem quite as taken by the fame as he is. Blast it, he's becoming harder to manage every day. _

_Why I told you that is a mystery to me. We've only exchanged a few scarce letters, but it seems that we write whatever is on our minds. And currently he is on my mind._

_I'll repeat myself once more. Get a job. It can be rather enlightening._

_~Curious girl with a book_

* * *

_Dear Curious girl with a book,_

_My friend used to run a business that dealt with international trading, but lately it's limited to a few foreign countries, since Britain isn't in the best condition and his name has a couple of black spots on it. All I would do is manage finances or something. He trusts me with numbers, since I used to help my mother manage our wealth once upon a time. I'm not sure if she would be proud or upset with how I turned out anymore._

_I cast a spell on this letter. No one will be able to see it except you. Some kid tried to take yours a few days ago when I picked it up and something had to be done about that. It's a simple shield charm. You should use it as well._

_A job at St. Mungo's sounds bloody awful. All those wounded warriors, Crucio-traumatized patients and bleeding bodies? I couldn't handle that for a moment. But perhaps I'll start leaving your letters there. It could be interesting to see if your co-workers think you have a secret admirer or not. Might whip your boyfriend into shape._

_I recommend that you don't regret your relationships, ever. Something good can be wonderful, but it has difficulties mixed in. Good things can be amazing. But if this relationship ends up being awful as this so-called boyfriend's ego inflates, then see it as experience. You'll know what to stay away from next time. Take it that way._

_I currently don't even have a relationship to speak of. No one seems to be able to overlook my background anymore to see me._

_It's nice to know you're a girl, I suppose. Spilling my inner thoughts to a guy is not something I want to do._

_I'm not getting a job, Curious. I am very happy in my current location. I only ponder death sometimes because I know there are people out there who would love to rip myself and my friend to pieces. It does cause death to be on your mind a lot of the time._

_What do you have against Draco Malfoy?_

_~Whiner with a bottle of vodka_

* * *

_Dear Whiner with a bottle of vodka,_

_What do you _not_ have against Malfoy? He's the biggest prat I've ever known, and nothing he did at the end of the war is going to change his personality. He may have given everyone on the Order's side an immense amount of information, but he's still bigoted and afraid of anything that isn't "Pure". I mean come on, he's practically the poster boy for "Pureblood Superiority."_

_Granted, we haven't actually spoken since Hogwarts, but nonetheless I doubt he changed that much. The fact that he's already married barely a year after the war concerns me! How can he get into such a serious relationship so quickly? I'll never understand the man._

_And yes, I'm a girl, not that it makes much of a difference. I'll still be honest with you. I'm going to respond to everything you say you say truthfully, so remember, if you hate what I have to say it's not my fault. You're the one who wrote it down on paper._

_Don't leave my letters at work! The fact that you left this one there is bad enough! My relationship with my boyfriend is fraying as it is, and when he saw me receive this letter he lost his top completely! I suppose it's silly to pretend that things are actually working out between us, especially when I know that he has his eyes on someone else, someone he's been toying with since our sixth year. I shouldn't have ignored that bit as much as I did. His interest is more invested in her than me now I'm afraid, and it's a bit heartbreaking. I always saw him as the guy I would end up with, but in the end I guess we weren't really meant for one another. Life wants to drag us in different directions, and I'm reluctant to go I'm afraid. It's making these last few days extremely taxing on my mood, which is why it's taken almost two weeks to reply._

_Maybe you should find someone to be with. It might propel you to get a job? No, in all seriousness, a relationship or at least a hook-up might be perfect for you. It might be exactly what you need to feel better about life!_

_~Curious girl with a book_

* * *

_Dear Curious girl with a book,_

_I'm sorry your relationship is faltering. Break-ups are always so hard. But if it's not meant to be, then don't hold on with stiff fingers. You'll prolong the pain that way._

_Malfoy isn't exactly on my bad side, per say. I know he isn't anyone's favorite person, and he obviously isn't yours, but he's not that bad of a guy underneath everything. He does really have a soul, even if people don't believe that. I know him very well mind you, so my opinion is quite different from yours probably for that reason. That, and I happen to be a Pureblood too. Whilst I might not be the prejudiced bloke he is, I am still a Pureblood and he is someone I was friends with before anyone else really. You're opinion on him is low, but don't judge so harshly. Sometimes you have to actually get to know a person before you'll really understand them._

_I got a job, imagine that. It has nothing to do with your badgering either. My dear friend found an open position and set up an interview for me before even telling me about it. I now work at the Ministry as the executive of a department. I'm actually killing myself a bit on the inside, hating myself for taking the position. But hell, it's a job, right? I've learned that it's better to learn from the mistakes of others, to walk behind them instead of in front of them, to lead the large division. It's bloody awful._

_~Whiner with a bottle of vodka_

* * *

For the first time in months, Hermione put her quill to paper after reading his letter.

_Dear Whiner with a bottle of vodka,_

_I'm no longer with him, if you care to wonder about my relationship status anymore. I know you probably gave up on me, considering that it's been almost three months since I responded, but I had things to handle. We broke up during a drunken argument, and he slept with the girl I thought he was with all along. Needless to say I don't see him the same anymore. I don't know if I hate him, but I don't love him either._

_You probably don't care what I have to say, so I'll keep it brief this time around. Congratulations on your job, I'm sure you'll be a great executive of whatever department you've moved into. The executive is usually a hard spot to land, so great job. I'm sure your friend is quite proud._

_I wish you the best of luck. Thank you for being around for me to talk to for a bit, I think we both needed it._

_~Curious girl with a book_

* * *

_Dear Hermione Granger,_

_You're last letter gave you away. A usual break-up doesn't keep a person away for months, but I know that Granger has been receiving lots of mail, has had problems with her friends and has been asked out on a lot of dates recently. I guess that explains the part about you being gone for so long, doesn't it? Well, I would ask about what happened, but considering that I now know who you are, it seems a bit obsolete to. Everything that went on with your relationship was all over the papers, so I've already read it for myself. _

_My job is wonderful actually. I never thought I would enjoy it so much. At first I thought it might be a bit hard to handle, but now I've really gotten into the swing of things. Law enforcement isn't as bad as it sounds._

_You shouldn't be so worried about me forgetting about you. Trust me Hermione, I haven't stopped thinking about you for a very long time._

_I suppose I owe you a hint to discover who I am, considering I know who you are now. Here's one hint: Why would I defend Draco Malfoy unless he's my best friend?_

_~Whiner with a bottle of vodka_

* * *

_Dear Blaise Zabini,_

_I heard about Malfoy. It's been months since I replied, but I still had things to handle in my life. I'm sorry that he got killed. I'll be at the funeral, of course, out of respect. _

_Perhaps we can speak face to face instead of quill to paper?_

_~Granger_

* * *

It was years after that last letter when someone found them again and bothered to read the inscriptions from these unexpected pen pals. Years until they discovered the unprecedented journey Hermione Granger and Blaise Zabini took before they fell in love. Before they learned to heal and love, and got married. Before they had a child.

Before time slipped away from them.

And it was that child, no more than seven years old, who decided to join in on his parent's game, too young to understand most of what was written.

_Dear Mummy and Daddy,_

_Uncle Harry says you fell in love because you wrote to each other and ended up falling in love by meeting later on. Is that true? And how come I don't fall in love with people when I write to them? I write all the time!_

_And daddy? Mummy says you're with your friends now- she calls one of them a prat, but I don't know what that means. Can I meet them someday? She says you're far away now._

_I miss you daddy. Someday, come visit._

_~Someday I'll be like you_

* * *

**A/n:** It's different from everything I usually write and I wrote the ending twice. I'm not sure letter stories are for me. Thoughts?


End file.
